The final act of defiance – a dramatic downpour click to enlargeWe knew we were in for a week of strong winds. That’s why we’d kept moving.
The NE F6/7 had been relentless, howling across Audierne ever since we arrived accompanied mostly by strong sunshine with the occasional spot of rain.
But the weather was no match for Play d’eau. She was becoming uneasy and wanting to move on with her holiday. Play d’eau won, of course.
The weather suddenly gave in and the wind dropped, yet in the same way as a teenager mumbles after being told off, the blue skies were replaced by grey cloud as a warm front moved overhead and a gentle rainfall began.
As the door slammed in the final show of defiance, a sudden heavy downpour was the final flourish of ‘I don’t care’ before leaving the stage to a grey sky and no wind as evening fell to night.
We’d leave tomorrow, mid-morning.
Hydraulic leaks
The blue oil spill from the port stabiliser ram click to enlargeAnnoyingly, we’d found two hydraulic leaks associated with the port stabilser. The first was from a seal on the ram and the second was a weep on a gear oil feed pipe connection. Contacting Golden Arrow, the European distributor, we began discussing options with their stabiliser guru, Brian George. As far as continuing the cruise we could simply immobilise the port fin but continue using the starboard fin.
That would be fine provided there wasn’t a sudden increase in leakage so we needed to plan for Brian to attend Play d’eau in La Rochelle or sooner. It would be a day’s work.
Au revoir, Audierne
We awoke early. Although it was misty it was ‘good to go’. The wind was calm.
Piers bought the croissants, took some final photos, visited le propriétaire de la cave d’Audierne (from whom we’d bought an outstanding Armagnac and Alsace dessert wine), and the Harbour Monster to say, ‘Au Revoir’, and we cast off at 1115 just as the sun appeared.
En route
An unhappy house near the entrance to Port la Forét click to enlargeCompletely uneventful. Calm seas, a warm sun and a gentle breeze from the SW helping us along.
Working with a single stabiliser fin was fine. Not as precise, but perfectly acceptable. Mind you, the sea was kind today.
Nav data
Times are FST.
Departed Audierne: 1115, 12 June 2015
Pinchpoints: Access over the sand bars at the entrances to Audierne and Port la Fôret
Arrived Port la Fôret: 1620
Time en route: 5hr 5min
Planned distance: 39nm
Tech issues:
With no return of the previously reported vibration, the Tech Log entry was altered to ‘resolved’
The oil leak from the port Trac stabiliser ram is concerning. Discussions are ongoing with the European agents, Golden Arrow
Piers and Lin
from the navigation table of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
Dawn breaks over Audierne click to enlargeOh how we love this small, unspoiled, market fishing town which has no pretensions or modern glamour to smother its original reality. Thankfully, the long arm of ‘Progress’ has kept its destructive hands away from Audierne.
Meanwhile, the town’s extensive shell fish industry has kept it firmly on the haute cuisine map by serving much of France with fresh crab, lobster, langoustine, sardines and line-caught fish.
You can imagine the excitement when notices outside Audierne wet fish shops declare ‘Langoustines Vivante – arrive à 19 heures ce soir’. Queues grow long.
Similar to St Peter Port
In a way, the town looks similar to St Peter Port before its marinas were created. The fishing fleet moors against the long sea wall which fronts the town’s road with its shops, houses and the Le Goyen 3 star Hotel. More houses line the small hill behind, all with slate roofs. The marina has been added at the end.
She needed a bath
After six hours, we finished cleaning and had a drink click to enlargeHaving travelled from Beaucette in not the best of seas, Play d’eau was covered in salt and needed a good bath.
Jason, who cleans and polishes Play d’eau regularly, had been a good tutor. ‘A good soapy bath at least once a week and a good coat of carnuba wax polish every two months. Do the upper deck one month, and the lower deck the next.’ Yes, Jason.
Having arrived in the early morning from Camaret, we started just after lunch. Six hours later, she’d had her (very) soapy bath, all over, been rinsed down and chamois leather dried. She looked good, really good. We broke out the Peroni and quaffed on the aft deck in hot sunshine.
Bas Armagnac and…
The sign read ‘De Vigne en Vin’ and pointed to a side road. Once inside the Cave, fine wines were beautifully laid out in three cool cellars. The last had an array of Armagnac.
After many tastings, resistance was low and we just had to buy a very fine Armagnac, didn’t we?The cellars of De Vigne en Vin d’Audierne click to enlargeBeing fully in the spirit of the event we began tasting dessert wines. An Alsace from the Gewurztraminer grape stood out. It would have been ungracious of us not to buy it and find an excuse to drink it.
A treat
Having had an unexpectedly good dinner served with beautiful French elegance in the 3 star Hotel Goyen two years ago, we booked a return treat.
The surroundings hadn’t changed. A light grey décor, wallpaper on the doors, white starched table cloths and waitresses who seemed to flow and glide rather than walk.
Whilst consuming glasses (note the plural) of champagne, we studied the menu. With Lin choosing lobster for a main course the Maître d’hôtel returned with three live local specimens displayed on a silver salver. Pointing to one of them, Lin said, ‘Emile, please.’
An excellent bottle of Sancerre accompanied six local No 3 oysters, crab meat rolled in thin slices of raw white fish, and langoustine tails (raw) in a delightful soya and lentil broth. Emile, gently roasted, and a sea bass poached in a fennel vegetable stock, followed. With no room for anything else, Piers paid the bill and knocked his expresso all over the table cloth.Le Goyen 3 star Hotel click to enlargeWithout doubt, the stars were the lobster and sea bass. It’s rare to find fish so beautifully prepared and both were simply magnificent. And now for the ‘but’: if there was any criticism, it was that the accompaniments on the dishes were dark brown or grey and somewhat dull. They needed the next level of brightening with colour and burst of flavour.
A day trip to Quimper
Being such a small marina, mainly for privately owned fishing and sailing boats, there’s only room for a handful of visitors on the hammerheads. Given its size there’s no marina wi-fi (wee-fee) so visits to the local bars and cafés for Chocolat Chaud or Cidre Pression were necessary. Quelle domage.
On the other hand, if we had a mobile wi-fi extender as we did in South Africa, we might be able to save the not inconsiderable amount we were spending on cidre.
On a dull and chilly day, we took the hour long bus journey to Quimper (yes, Piers went on a bus…). We found the Orange emporium next to the Cathédrale Saint-Corentin de Quimper. €85 later, we had a 4G Orange Let’s Go (pay as you go) Airbox and credit valid for six months. Will it work?
Time to depart
And now we must make ready to depart for Port la Fôret tomorrow, 12 June 2015.
Piers and Lin
from the saloon of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
A Bas Armagnac magnifique click to enlarge
An equally magnifique Alsace dessert wine click to enlarge
Cathédrale Saint-Corentin de Quimper began construction in the 1200s click to enlarge
An interesting roof line click to enlarge
The Catherdral’s Last Supper window click to enlarge
Glorious back streets of ages untold click to enlarge
Ocean Pearl squeezes through the narrow entrance of Camaret marina click to enlargeAfter our horrid yet triumphant marathon passage making yesterday, we had a day off to recuperate before tomorrow’s short weather window would allow us to transit the Raz de Sein on 6 June.
If we missed this window, we’d be stuck for at least a week whilst the forecast NE gales played endless and annoying percussion by slapping rigging against masts of neighbouring yachts.
We’d be pushing ourselves but it would be worth it to be south of the Finistère Peninsula before the strong winds came. The plan was coming together.
Audierne, here we come.
Throughout the day, the skies remained heavily overcast with a strong, cold wind but no rain.
Croissant and hot chocolate
Although both Lin and I had sore tummies and my head still hurt, we retraced our steps into the village to have croissants and hot chocolate. A delectable feast.Ocean Pearl looks the business as she moors click to enlargeHow come only the French can make such delicious croissants?
Yesterday’s vibration
Being moored on the outside wasn’t ideal, so as soon as there was space in the marina we took it.
With nothing obvious being found with the drive shafts in the engine room, we needed to check if anything had been snagged on a prop. Piers would either don the dive kit or try our underwater video camera bought especially for the purpose.
Cable tied to the boat hook, the small camera worked brilliantly. The props could clearly be seen and thankfully nothing untoward was seen. We concluded we must have been snagged something during yesterday’s passage which had come free as we manoeuvred in Camaret.
We wait to see if the vibration returns on the next sector.
A phone call
Ocean Pearl moored opposite Play d’eau click to enlargeMy phone rang. ‘Piers, it’s Braun, Ocean Pearl. We are thinking of coming into Camaret. Are you there? We’re in the Chenal du Four right now.’
By mid-afternoon, the enormous Ocean Pearl held her breath and squeezed through the narrow marina entrance to moor in the only space available. Neighbouring yachts also held their breath whilst their skippers were heard to mutter, ‘Alors’, ‘Sacr%eacute; bleu’, and ‘C’est enorme!’
‘Come along for drinks, tonight,’ invited Tina. We need no encouragement.
A tour of Ocean Pearl
Lin’s first words were, ‘Wow, this is huge,’ as we stepped into the saloon.
We cannot begin to describe how large and beautifully crafted the vessel is. What a pilot house! To learn Braun and Tina had crossed the major oceans of the Pacific and Atlantic and have just been cruising extensively in the Baltic, was breathtaking.
There’s no doubt the Nordhavn 64 is built for serious ocean cruising in wonderful luxury.In pre-dawn twilight, cliffs and rocks look daunting as we left Camaret click to enlargeAs I write, I can hear Lin saying, ‘No, it’s not happening…’
The second fragile weather window
Given access to Audierne is limited by tide, the latest time to leave Camaret would be 0445 even though it placed us in the pinchpoint of the Raz de Sein an hour before slack water. The current spring tides wouldn’t help either and hopefully the forecast NW3 wind would be realised.
En route
As quietly as possible, we cast off and let the wind drift us away from the pontoon. Using engines only we manoeuvred out of the marina.
The FLIR thermal imaging camera came into its own. Presenting a daylight picture we were able to see pot markers, take avoiding action, and not be ‘hooked’.
Meeting a NW4/5 wind along the headland, the first hour was into the swell (again) and slop (again), but it smoothed out as we turned south for the Raz leaving us riding a 2m Atlantic swell only, broadside-on. The bonus was that the wind began to abate.
A yacht race
Early dawn after leaving Camaret click to enlargeHaving had the radar on short range for pot spotting, I increased it to 4 miles just before turning S towards the Raz. To my surprise dozens of targets covered the screen like angry acne, each with an AIS.
It was a yacht race. Some fifty or so 6m and 7m yachts were following a clockwise course from Morgat, through the Raz, along the S coast of the Ile de Sein to its western tip before heading NE to the Basse du Lis SCM and finally striking for Morgat.
The yachts had interesting names, such as ‘Follow me solo sailor’ and ‘Dinky toy solo sailor’.
Hey, if 6m yachts can handle the Raz, how on earth can we make a fuss?
The Raz
As hoped, the Ile de Sein protected us from the wind which by now had more W in it that N, making the transit almost smooth. Another non-event.At the end of the Raz, numerous Gannets signify a good feeding ground click to enlargeOnce through, the wind petered out as if by a switch. With only a following 2kt gentle breeze we cruised the next 7nm to Audierne in complete flat sea comfort. A call to the Harbour Master confirmed a hammerhead was ready for us as we entered the estuary and followed the narrow, winding dredged channel to the marina.
Audierne
The Harbour Master recognised and welcomed us, giving us a great welcome. He reminded us he was known by his friends as the Harbour Monster!
We love this small, unspoiled, market fishing town which has no pretentions and no modern glamour to smother its reality.
The sun was hot, the wind calm, and to our delight, we saw the farmers’ market was in full flow.
It’s so good to be back.
Nav data
La Vielle signifies the end of the Raz de Sein. Can you see the small fishing boat? click to enlargeTimes are FST.
Pinchpoints: Raz de Sein and tidal access to Audierne
Departed Camaret: 0445, 6 June 2015
Arrived Audierne: 0942
Time en route: 4hr 57min
Planned distance: 30.2nm
Sunrise: 0603
Tech issues: With no return of the previously reported vibration, we ticked it off as ‘resolved but watch’ in the Tech Log.
Piers and Lin
from the navigation table of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
The graveyard for old wooden fishing boats is next to the marina click to enlarge
Audierne. Hot sun and calm winds. Destination achieved click to enlarge
Looking aft as we descend into the trough of the 3m swell click to enlargeDate of departure: 4 June 2015
We couldn’t sleep.
By 1am we were up and dressed. The light of the full moon was reflecting off the glassy flat harbour sea untouched by any hint of a wind. Perfect.
Fragile weather window
Yet we also knew from the forecast that as soon as we rounded St Martin’s Point on the SE of Guernsey and started heading WSW, we’d meet a 3m Atlantic swell topped with 1m waves stirred up by a NE4 wind.
These conditions would stay with us until abeam L’Aber Wrac’h for some 15 hours before turning south for the Chenal du Four and Camaret.
We knew it would be uncomfy. But we also knew that if we didn’t take this fragile weather window and make Camaret we would lose at least a week whilst the fronts in the North Atlantic and their associated pressure gradients played havoc with the winds and seas.
The old saying that the boat could cope but the crew couldn’t, would soon ring in our ears.
The longest day
Having cast off at 0230 and transited the east coast of Guernsey, we turned WSW and came head to head with the 3m swell. But it was just a roller coaster; gently up to its peak and gently down into its trough. In a way, quite soothing, soporific, quite enjoyable.
Were there the forecast 1m waves? Yes, but annoyingly they created a nasty steep slop causing Play d’eau to wallow. It was that movement, hour after hour, which made us both feel unwell. Lin was. I just felt ill but wasn’t. I also began to develop a fierce headache.
The Mary Celeste?
After 14 hours we turned SSW for Camaret where the seas became glassy flat click to enlargeSome 20 miles past Guernsey a target appeared on the radar, fine on the starboard bow. AIS gave her details as the 14m long Mardrea, at anchor, yet making 6.7kts.
At 0401 she passed 1.4nm to the north of us. No navigation lights to be seen and even in the pre-dawn light she was invisible.
Un petit mystère, je pense.
Planned diversions
In case we didn’t want to continue, we’d planned our options to return to Guernsey or divert to Roscoff or l’Aber Wrac’h depending upon where we were along the route. At each point we made the decision to keep going.
Chenal du Four
By mid-afternoon, clear skies were replaced by a grey, overcast dullness.
After 14 hours of this endurance run, we turned SSW for the Chenal du Four. Thankfully, the wind soon abated to a gentle F2 and the wind whipped waves and swell subsided.
By the time we approached the Chenal du Four the sea had become glassy flat. The wind was a mere 2kts, and what could have been a difficult encounter was nothing of the sort. A complete non-event.
Camaret
Pointe de Sainte Mathieu – the end of the Chenal du Four click to enlargeCamaret was full, albeit because boats had moored inconsiderately by occupying far more room than necessary. With a flat sea and no wind, we were content to moor on the outside of the outer pontoon.
Wanting to set foot on terra firma, we took the short walk into the village and had the mandatory first pression of the trip.
Post-mortem
Was the trip dangerous? No. Was it unpleasant? Yes. Was it worth it? Without question. Why? We were now well positioned to round the peninsula and start enjoying the holiday before the pressure gradients whipped themselves up to unsociably strong winds.
Nav data
Times are BST.
Pinchpoint: Chenal du Four
Departed St Peter Port: 0230
Arrived Camaret: 1952
Time en route: 17hr 22min
Planned distance: 139nm
Sunrise: 0506
Tech issues: Vibration when synchronising the engines. Having 100rpm difference stopped the vibration. Must check in Camaret.
Piers and Lin
from the navigation table of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
Hot sun and blue skies at Beaucette click to enlargeDate of departure: 3 June 2015.
With shouts of ‘fine weather and calm seas’ from friends Ricky, Dawn, Terry and Margaret, Play d’eau gave a long, echoing blast on her shiny Kahlenbergs signalling her exit from Beaucette with the west coast of France firmly in her sites. We just happened to be travelling with her.
Play d’eau was ready to go. Blue skies and a hot sun encouraged us. Jason had cleaned and polished her and Nick had varnished the ensign and burgee staffs. Her engines purred as she stretched her limbs ready for her two and half month summer cruise ahead.
The plan
Our extended summer cruise is to explore the many beautiful ports lining the west coast of France as we did in 2013 just after we’d retired. Cidre, gallettes, croissants and farmers’ markets add fuel to fire of excitement.Ocean Pearl in St Peter Port click to enlargeWe also wanted some dear friends to join us. John and Beryl for one part of the cruise and David (who we first met 42 years ago) for another.
Finistère Peninsula
To reach our planned cruising grounds we first had to clear the Finistère Peninsula. Two pinch points would be in the way. The Chenal du Four and Raz de Sein. To avoid potentially horrible seas we needed light winds and slack tides.
With the forecast showing only two short windows of opportunity, we decided to head straight for Camaret to clear the Chanel du Four. Due to tide constraints this meant waiting in St Peter Port, departing at 0230hrs the next morning and motoring for some 18 hours.
St Peter Port
30 minutes after leaving Beaucette, we motored into St Peter Port and moored on a waiting pontoon opposite Ocean Pearl, a USA flagged Nordhavn 64. Although only some 9’ longer then Play d’eau, she looked gigantic.Jason had cleaned and polished Play d’eau click to enlargeWith supper on the table, Ricky appeared in his RIB next to us. Looking first at Ocean Pearl and then at me, he said, ‘Now that’s a real boat, Piers.’ Growl….
Ocean Pearl
And then Ocean Pearl’s owners, Braun and Tina, appeared on their side deck. Tina held some papers in her hand.
‘Play d’eau, I’ve carried a copy of the article in Motor Boat and Yachting in which you wrote about your 2013 cruise along the Brittany coast. That’s where we headed right now.’
What a coincidence – how crazy is that!
Piers and Lin
from the navigation table of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
We left Paimpol’s harbour and motored east along the narrow channel click to enlargeWith fresh croissants from Le Fournil du Port collected by Lin and safely stowed in the galley (away from Piers), and the water tanks refilled (we don’t like Jersey’s desalinated water), we lit the fires and cast off ending our delightful nine day stay in this glorious Brittany port.
Exiting the lock, we waved goodbye to the lock-keeper, headed out of the harbour and into the long, narrow channel.
The weather
After days and days of high winds that kept us safely tucked up in Paimpol’s Basin 1, today’s wind was almost non-existent. It was so calm, registering a gust maximum of 0.26kts on Play d’eau’s instruments.
OK, the sky was full of murky cloud but there was no rain and the temperature was ‘good to go’. So we did.
Pinch points
We threaded our way through the Chenal Saint-Rion click to enlargeThe controlling pinch point was the opening time of the lock to exit Paimol giving us a departure time of 0845. Given this, we’d arrive at St Helier at low tide when there’d be insufficient water to enter the marina so we’d have to stay a while on their waiting pontoon, just outside. Not a problem.
Tide Plan 2
The longest leg is 32.7nm. For this, we’d use Tide Plan 2, a software which plans a constant heading to steer between waypoints, ensuring the tidal flow is put to best advantage (or least disadvantage) giving the best time on the leg.
Note: the software can be downloaded for trial, free of charge, from CompassCard.
The nav plan
The hard to starboard turn into La Collette click to enlargeSeeing we’d leave at the top of an 11m spring tide, we decided to pilot Play d’eau through the Chenal Saint-Rion regaining our planned track 0.4nm east of the Ar Bonn Krenv ECM. From there we’d motor north until clearing the Plateau des Échaudés before heading ENE for Jersey via the Danger Rock Passage and Green Rock SHM.
The journey
Piloting through the Chenal Saint-Rion was fun. The spring tide was having a ball, dancing a Viennese waltz around the small islands and rocky seabed, its turning and swirling causing the autopilot to work overtime to keep us on track whilst coping with an additional 3.7kts of tide.
Arriving at the Nord Horaine NCM, we set the autopilot to Tide Plan’s calculated heading of 077 (T) for our next waypoint just south of Les Grunes Vaudin on Danger Rock Passage.The Furuno NN3D chart plotter recorded our arrival into La Collette click to enlargeFor the next few hours we had a calm sea with a lazy 1m swell from behind created by the many lows that had been playing in the Atlantic for the last week or so.
Arriving
TidePlan 2 had done a reasonable job, putting us back on track just 2nm before the waypoint. It was now low tide, giving us just 1m above chart datum.
Calling St Helier marina we were told there was Dragon Boat racing in the main harbour and that we’d have to pull into the adjacent La Collette harbour and wait on D pontoon. ‘Follow the dory,’ was the Harbour Master’s advice. ‘It’s a very low spring tide and the channel to the pontoons is narrow.’ Shades of Paimpol, I wondered? At one stage Play d’eau only had 60cms beneath her keel.
It would be 2½hrs before we could leave and motor the half mile to the St Helier marina. We used the time to give Play d’eau a bath, reset clocks to UK time and change SIMs on our mobiles.
Whilst we paused for a few moments to have some hot chocolate, we looked at each other and said, ‘Nearly home.’
The tecky details
After a two hours we cast off from La Collette and arrived at St Helier marina at 1745 click to enlargeDeparted Paimpol – 0845 (French)
Arrived La Collette – 1515 (UK)
Time on passage – 8hr 30min
Total planned distance – 47.5nm
Tide: Top of springs
Longest leg – 32.7nm Nord Horaine NCM to
Tech issues – nil
Incidents – nil
Navigational info: The approach into La Collette requires a hard turn to starboard to go between the mole and the PHM. Track close to the fishing boats to starboard before heading to the pontoons to port.
Play d’eau waking up as dawn is about to break click to enlargeAlthough we’ve loved being in Paimpol, a weather window is opening to allow us to escape to St Helier, Jersey, after 9 days here.
We had wanted to visit Binic first, but given the delay from high winds we’ve had to miss that part of our plan.
Paimpol
Paimpol is such a beautiful, small old Brittany town, built around its original granite harbour from which many sailing trawlers crossed the Atlantic to fish for cod off the Newfoundland’s Grand Banks.
The harbour remains a fishing port yet today’s trawlers have swapped sails for engines, salt for refrigerators, and only venture a few miles out to sea. In addition, the Port de Plaisance accommodates over 330 yachts, with more available in Basin 1.
The marina’s wi-fi didn’t reach the corner of Bassin 1 where we were moored. So we picked up our ‘ordinateurs’ and walked along the line of many cafés and restaurants on the harbour front, all advertising free wi-fi.A line of trawlers stretched out behind us click to enlargeOne told us we could use their wi-fi if we ordered a meal. ‘Non,’ I replied. The next, Quai Quest, welcomed us, gave us their access code and found us a good place. With no demand for us to order anything, we ordered deux chocolat chaud – grand.
Having to cope with a large back log of emails we went on to order lunch – and what a great meal. The first course was slices of goat’s cheese on small crispy bread, served on shreds of lettuce with a honey dressing and walnut pieces. Sheer delight. We were so pleased we didn’t give our patronage to the previous restaurant.
We used their wi-fi so often, we had dinner there one evening. Again, it was excellent food and at a very reasonable price. Not a tourist in site – that said something.
Farmers’ market
Yes, there’s a regular farmers’ market on Tuesdays, and as with others we’ve seen, it’s vast. The selection of foods let alone the varieties on offer, sparks the imagination and makes shopping such a joy.The tide recedes for over three miles leaving soft mud. The channel is narrow and you need to stay on the centreline click to enlargeMakes you wonder how well a market stall full of pre-packaged, pre-prepared, pre-cooked, chemically enhanced, food reconstructed, GM modified ‘meals’ would survive.
In contrast, how great it was to buy unpasteurised cream, spooned out of an open large tub from the dairy farmer’s stall.
The tides
Paimpol is approached along a long, narrowing channel, and until you’ve seen what happens to the sea after the tide’s drained it all away, it’s hard to imagine just how dry and narrow it becomes.
Looking back along the channel from the shore at low water makes you realise how vital it is to stay between the markers for the last half mile especially, unless you want to feature in the next edition of the local paper – and the UK magazine Motor Boats Monthly!
Play d’eau’s Departure from Paimpol
Looking from the lock gates to the harbour entrance click to enlargeThe plan is to leave Paimpol on Saturday 21 September for St Helier, Jersey, where we’ll meet Graham and Frances of Woolly Mammoth and have a meal at Shaun Rankin’s new restaurant, Ormer.
Needing to be back in Guernsey for 29 September, we’ll probably leave on the 26th, weather dependent.
Piers and Lin
From the Pilot House of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.
Le Fournil du Port, Paimpol. This boulangerie produced the winning croissant click to enlargeWe can now declare the winner of the Play d’eauCroissant Competition 2013.
Having cruised the beautiful coasts of north and west France and their hidden treasures of marinas for the last three months, we’ve tasted croissants in 22 ports from 31 boulangeries.
And the winner is…
‘Le Fournil du Port’ at Paimpol, north Brittany.
The margin by which Le Fournil won was considerable. In all criteria their croissants scored the highest.
To prove it wasn’t a baking fluke and that Le Fournil’s croissants consistently rose crisply to the challenge, we tried croissants from Le Fournil on five occasions.
Le Fournil is at the south end of Paimpol’s Bassin No 1.
Running order…
The first bite of the winning croissant click to enlargeThe final running order was:
1st place (€0.88) – Le Fournil du Port, Paimpol
2nd place (€0.90) – Boulangerie Denigot, Port Louis, Lorient
3rd place (€0.95) – Boulangerie Founesant la Forêt, Port la Forêt
4th place (€0.23) – LIDL, Rochefort (yes, only 23 centimes)
Judging criteria
The judging criteria has been the same all along,
Does it look good?
As you bite, is the outside crispy?
Is it buttery?
Is the inside light, fresh and soft?
Do you glow with croissant pleasure?
Although the price was noted, it was not included as one of the criteria.Was the inside light, fresh and soft? click to enlarge
One question remains. How can we have hot, fresh supplies from Paimpol to Beaucette in time for breakfast?
Piers and Lin
From the Galley of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.
We were on passage from Lézardrieux to Paimpol on a lovely clear, sunny day. It was flat calm. I’d been asked by Tom Gregory to lead three boats through this channel one of which was Ben and Doreen’s Sealine called Solent Seagull.
I’d briefed the skippers that we’d be travelling at 24kts in our Princess V39 and that if they stayed close and line astern, all would be well. ‘But don’t deviate,’ I’d added. ‘There are rocks both sides.’ As usual on MBM cruises, we’d all be Ch77 colloquially known as Tom’s channel.
Every so often I looked back to check. All three ducklings were in line. But suddenly Solent Seagull was missing.
‘Solent Seagull,’ I radioed. ‘This is Play d’eau. I can’t see you, where are you?’
‘My hat blew off,’ came Ben’s laconic response. ‘I’m going to rescue it.’
At this point I saw him way back and drifting close to the rocks on the north side of the channel.
‘Ben, you’re drifting onto the rocks. Get out of there.’ I said, somewhat urgently.
I shall remember Ben’s reply for ever. ‘It’s OK Piers,’ said Ben cheerily. ‘The boat’s insured, the hat isn’t.’
Happy days.
Piers and Lin
From the Memory Banks of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
P.S. Ben retrieved his hat – a baseball cap.
You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.
The height of Treguier’s the 30m pontoon is 2.5 feet off the water click to enlargeIt happened so quickly
In our report on Tréguier marina we made the point about the strong tidal flows which pass diagonally through the pontoons. Given this, mooring should always be into the current.
Well, there was an incident two days before we left.
Man Overboard
A large yacht chose to moor on the other side of our 30m pontoon. This meant mooring with (not into) a 2-3 knot current with its added effect of pushing the yacht away from the pontoon.
As it approached, I went to help and asked for the stern warp to stop their forward motion.
Instead, I was thrown a breast warp and asked to secure it. By the time the warp was passed, the current had already drifted the yacht 6’ from the pontoon.
By now, it was a no-win scenario. His position and the tide combined to make a retreat impossible, and mooring was going to be a challenge.
The tide took control
With the breast attached, the tide took control, swinging the stern out and the bows in. The tension on the breast line was unbelievable.
Lin (and Richard from Yacht Whileaway) were trying to fend the bows off the pontoon which in itself was impossible given the force of the tide against the hull even though the skipper was applying full opposite bow thruster.
Two crew managed to jump off the bows onto the pontoon to help, and someone came running over from another yacht.
”It happened so quickly”
Lin suddenly saw one of the yacht’s crew in the water just a few feet to her left and some four feet ahead of the bows. He was just managing to hang onto the edge of the 2½’ high pontoon with his fingertips although the tide was doing its best to tear him away.
His saving grace was that he was wearing his life jacket which had inflated.
Although Lin was shouting ‘man in the water’ no-one could hear. There was far too much noise from the bow thruster and general shoutings.
Making secure
Taking the yacht’s bow warp she made it off on a cleat, knelt down and stretched to feed the end under a shoulder, around his back, under the other shoulder and up. He was now looped and tethered and less likely to take off.
When she began shouting again, I heard. Leaving the breast warp to the others I went to Lin, saw what had happened and that the MOB was temporarily safe unless the yacht began moving forward. Telling him not to go away, I ran to Play d’eau’s warp locker, chose one and fed it around him in the same way Lin had. Lin could now retrieve her warp and I’d be able to ‘walk’ him to the lower pontoon to attempt a recovery.
Retrieval
Looking for ladders, there weren’t any.
Speaking to him, I said, ‘Come on, you’ve had a dunking, now you’ll have a swim. I’ll walk you to the lower pontoons where we’ll get you out. Let go of this pontoon, relax and enjoy the ride.’
The tide was tugging at him, strongly. We crossed the walkway and stopped by a lower pontoon. More help having arrived, we managed, after a struggle, to pull him out.
He still had his new boots on, although one had been sliced through in two places.
I walked him back to Play d’eau where I told him he’d have a shower. Standing in the aft cockpit, I deflated and removed his life jacket. After he’d taken off (almost all) his clothes, I led him to the guest shower and shut him in with soap and a fresh towel.
It took another ten minutes of straining on a stern warp by the skipper, his crew and three others, to bring the yacht’s stern in and moor up.
MOB lessons learnt
You may not hear the cry ‘MOB’. General noise can drown (forgive the pun) any shouting.
Wearing a life jacket, and one with a crotch strap, probably saved his life if that doesn’t sound too melodramatic.
Retrieval was hard, even from the lower pontoon.
One boot was sliced in two places which just goes to prove that barnacles are razor sharp and grow on the underwater parts of the pontoon – those parts you use when trying to get out.
There are no pontoon ladders at Tréguier marina.
All in all, a salutary lesson.
Piers and Lin
From the Sick Bay of Play d’eau
Fleming 55
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These were the voyages of Piers and Lin du Pré aboard their Fleming 55
